A spokesman for the Department of Corrections said the state transfers roughly 5,000 inmates each month based on reviews of various concerns, including their behavior or "over-familiarity" with a prison.

Sweat's transfer was made as part of that review process, according to the agency.

His escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility led to international headlines and a massive manhunt for him and fellow inmate Richard Matt, who was shot and killed by authorities.

Sweat was shot and survived.

Matt and Sweat escaped from the maximum-security facility by cutting through walls and steam pipes before exiting through a nearby manhole.

They were aided by hacksaw blades smuggled into the prison by Joyce Mitchell, an employee who was sentenced to three to seven years in prison.